POSITION STATEMENT ON ACCREDITATION OF INTERNATIONAL NURSING EDUCATION PROGRAMS
ACEN is committed to quality in all types of nursing education programs and encourages self-evaluation, peer review, and the promotion of educational equity, access, and mobility through the functions of accreditation. Recognizing that educational institutions are expanding their programs to foster access and that such expansion initiatives increasingly involve global outreach efforts, ACEN welcomes nursing programs outside the United States and U.S. Territories to pursue international nursing accreditation.
ACEN asserts that accreditation is a voluntary, self-regulatory process by which non-governmental entities recognize educational institutions or programs that have been found to meet or exceed standards and criteria for educational quality. ACEN acknowledges that nursing education programs located outside of the United States and its territories can benefit from adherence to best practices and generally-accepted guidelines for nursing education incorporated in the ACEN Standards and Criteria. In order to fulfill its mission to support the interests of nursing education, nursing practice, and the public, ACEN seeks to broaden the impact of accreditation to encompass nursing education programs across the globe.
Therefore, in a spirit of cooperation, openness, and mutual respect consistent with its organizational values, ACEN extends accreditation and related services to international nursing education programs.
Original Statement: February 2010; Revised August 2018